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Yesterday was Lag B”Omer. The Rebbe once spoke about how we teach children that the Talmidim of Rebbe Akiva stopped passing away is a reason for the celebration of Lag B”Omer. The child will then ask; who is Rebbe Akiva? We will answer that he is the greatest Tanna, so much so that the Mishna follows his opinion. The child may wonder; what is my connection to Rebbe Akiva and his students? We should answer him in the following manner. Don’t think that Rebbe Akiva was raised with a great chinuch! He only began to learn aleph beis at 40 and became the great Rebbe Akiva. So too if you dedicate yourself to the Torah you can be a Talmid of Rebbe Akiva.

When we approach our children to grow in learning and in Yiddishkeit they may feel that it is beyond their abilities. They may doubt they can be able to fulfill the level that is being asked of them to be student of Rebbe Akiva. They may think that such a level is for someone who grew up with a lineage, an education and illustrious parents. Perhaps if I would have grown up in Lubavitch or the Europe of the past, but in this generation, the generation of the iPhone and the internet, what could you possibly expect? Ask my parents or the Rabbi, but not me! To this child and his perspective we relate the story of the great Rebbe Akiva. We tell him that Rebbe Akiva was a child of Gerim, he had no yichus at all! He had no chinuch either or even a means of financial support that would allow him the time to sit and study! Yet he overcame all of these things and nonetheless became the great Rebbe Akiva!

Still yet, the child may persist and say that Rebbe Akiva was that one in a million person that for some miraculous reason achieved this. If he could receive a sign from above, perhaps then, he would also be able to rise to this challenge as well. We answer him with Rebbe Akiva’s story. Do you know what inspired Rebbe Akiva? It was a rock! A rock? Yes, a simple, natural, non miraculous rock. He saw that water drops, consistently falling on a rock wore away its hard surface and made a hole in the rock. He learned a lesson from this natural occurrence to his situation. That he too, if he remains dedicated to the Torah, its ‘waters’ will eventually penetrate and he will be able to learn. He learned all this from nature without a miraculous intervention. So too, we tell the child, you can accomplish to be a student of Rebbe Akiva, it is within your reach.

On Lag B’Omer we also teach our children that it is the Hilula of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai- the Rashbi. We explain that he was on the level of ‘Toraso umnaso- His Torah was his business’. This means that his entire being was 100 percent involved and dedicated to learning the Torah. The child will ask; is this a level that is possible for us in these times? When he hears that it is rare state and uncommon to these times, he will wonder how the Rashbi’s example is relevant to him. We should explain that when Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai learned the Torah, nothing else was happening; he was fully focused on his learning. So too, we need to set aside time to study Torah on the level of Toraso umnaso, where nothing else is going on with our own ‘business’, just the learning of the Torah. We learn this lesson from the example of Rebbe Simon bar Yochai, the Rashbi.

The Gemora says that a Talmid Chacham is called ‘Shabbos’. Our lesson, similar to above is that when we learn, it needs to be on the level of Shabbos. Do we pick up the phone? No! Do we answer e-mail? No! These are the lessons that we learn from Lag B’Omer.

(Based on a Sicha from Shabbos parshas Emor the 17th of Iyar 5733 (1973))

Please make a special effort to alert others by forwarding this email. Even if they’ve not attended one of the earlier presentations, encourage them to come to this one. It will be on Pesach Sheini, known for its motto, “it’s never too late!"

Click here to pay up all your kibud or yiskor pledges and outstanding membership. Thank you to all of our supporters!!!

CAMP: Girls! Sign up today for Camp Gan Yisroel!! Space is limited and filling fast. Click here for more info. To help sponsor the security guard for the camp facility during the summer while our children are enjoying camp, please go to www.gofundme.com/cgi-hp.

SUNDAY: The Chassidus Initiative: Petitioning vs. Submitting - Why do we Daven? Doesn’t Hashem know best? Presented by David Homami. Sunday, Pesach Sheini/May 22. @ SOLA, 1627 S La Cieniga Blvd. 7:50 - Mincha. 8:00 The program is called for 8 PM followed by Maariv. Please make a special effort to alert others by forwarding this email. Even if they’ve not attended one of the earlier presentations, encourage them to come to this one. It will be on Pesach Sheini, known for its motto, “it’s never too late!"

WEDNESDAY: To our dear friends in Congregation Levi Yitzchok, I would like to invite everyone to participate in our Hachnasas Sefer Torah written in honor of the Baal Shem Tov. Wednesday evening, 17 Iyar/May 25. Click here to for more info. You can still be a part of this special sefer Torah by going to our website. May this bring Miracles and Brachos to you and your families. Rabbi Reuven Wolf

Rabbi & Mrs. Jonathan Glabman for the yahrtzeit of Mrs. Julie Glabman’s father Ozzie ben Zev ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.

Mr. & Mrs. Isser Goldstein for the yahrtzeit of Mr. Isser Goldstein’s father Reb Tzvi Hersh ben Reb Shmuel ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.

Mr. & Dr. Martin Leaderman in honor of Dr. Margalit Leaderman’s birthday. May she have a shnas hatzlocho begashmiyus ubruchniyus. Also for the yahrtzeit of Mr. Martin Leaderman’s mother Tzipora bas Reb Moshe ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.

Mr. & Mrs. Elozor Plotke for the yahrtzeit of Mr. Elozor Plotke’s father Reb Shmuel ben Kurt ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.

Rabbi Yossi Rimler in honor of his daughter’s marriage. May she be Zoche to build a binyan aday ad.

If the Rebbe were here
he would agree that I am doing what he wants!?By Rabbi Shimon Raichik

This week’s parsha contains the mitzvos of Sefiras HaOmer, counting the Omer and the Shtei Halechem, the offering of the two loaves on Shavuos. The counting of the Omer occurs between Pesach and Shavuos, days that are seemingly opposites. On Pesach chametz is completely forbidden to the extreme. The slightest trace of chametz is not tolerated on Pesach. On the other hand on Shavuos not only is chametz tolerated it is used as an offering as specifically required in the two loaves. If chametz is so wrong on Pesach that any trace must be obliterated why is it so welcome and required as a central focus on Shavuos? Chassidus explains that Pesach is the beginning. When we left Mitzrayim what we needed was pure emunah. We entered the uncertainties of the desert with no idea how to provide food and care for everyone. What was the plan? The answer is that there was no plan only pure emunah in Hashem.

What is emunah? It’s the strength to place our questions on the side and place our intellect on the side and rely on our unwavering connection to Hashem and his servant Moshe Rabbenu. Matzah represents bitul, our complete nullification and reliance on Hashem under all circumstances. On the other hand when we received the Torah on Shavuos we received Hashem’s will and wisdom. Our job in receiving the Torah was not just to accept (na’aseh) but to also understand (nishmah). We are not supposed to simply and robotically fulfill the mitzvos but also to use our intellect to understand and our hearts to feel them; to know the ways of Hashem to the best of our ability.

The order however is first Pesach and then Shavuos. We begin with the acceptance of the mesora, accepting Hashem’s overall plan for us without reservation. This bitul, our participation of nullifying our personal ambitions and opinions to Hashem’s mesora is message of Pesach. After this we can then continue in implementing Hashem’s plans by understanding intellectually and feeling in our own terms the best we can all that we can; this is the message of Shavuos. In order to get from Pesach to Shavuos we need Sefiras HaOmer. During the counting of the Omer we refine reorient and prioritize our perspectives. We no longer rely solely on our emunah but we go on to integrate our emumah into our daily living during Sefiras HaOmer through the process of personal refinement. This is what prepares us for Matan Torah when it is no longer just naaseh (we will do) but also nishma (we will understand).

When we make a bracha before learning the Torah we shift our perspective. It’s not just having an idea of what we want and then looking into the Torah to support those ideas but the other way around. There is a story from the Chasam Sofer who told his students the following. If you’ll say my Torah in your own name I will have no complaints. If however, you will say your Torah’s in my name; that I won’t accept. This story also applies to us as Lubavitcher Chassidim. When we speak about how the Rebbe felt about something or what he said, we need to be accurate. Someone who isn’t sure or wasn’t there needs to go back and to learn. This is our mesora. When we leave the mesora we forget the Giver of the Torah. So too in general, when we make a bracha over the Torah first we have placed Hashem first. When we fail to make a bracha we are at that very moment off track because intellect has taken 1st place instead of second.

There is a pasuk in Devarim (32:7) that reads: “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations; Ask thy father, and he will declare unto you, your elders, and they will tell you.” The message is clear, first listen then analyze. This applies to all areas of life and all issues, be it an eiruv, Eretz Yisroel, a beard, cholov Yisroel, chinuch or tznius. It all begins with a look into the mesora with acceptance and listening. When we don’t find the answer, we turn to ask those who do know or heard directly. We don’t use these situations out to decide how we want it to be. Once, when Chassidei Chabad went to visit Ariel Sharon they complained that what he was doing in Gaza (giving it to the Arabs) was blatantly against the Rebbe’s wishes. He responded by saying that if the Rebbe were here he would agree that I am doing what he wants. No one wants to feel they are not doing what the Rebbe wants. When it is not one hundred percent clear to me what the Rebbe said, we can end up saying our own ideas in the Rebbe’s name.

The Hayom Yom for the 8th of Iyar says:

“An emissary is one with his sender. This concept is similar to that of an angel acting as a Divine emissary, when he is actually called by G‑d's name. If this is so with an angel it is certainly true of the soul; in fact with the soul the quality of this oneness is of a higher order, as explained elsewhere.

Chassidim are emissaries of the Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe. So if the Chosid actively discharges his mission, he is bound up with his Rebbe, bound up in his entire being - there walks a Chosid, there eats a Chosid, there sleeps a Chosid.”

Surely by connecting to the source and then implementing our shlichus to the best of our abilities, using our minds and hearts we have the strength of the Sender and we will therefore be successful in accomplishing the goal of revealing Moshiach now.

Click here to pay up all your kibud or yiskor pledges and outstanding membership. Thank you to all of our supporters!!!

CAMP: Girls! Sign up today for Camp Gan Yisroel!! Space is limited and filling fast. Click here for more info. To help sponsor the security guard for the camp facility during the summer while our children are enjoying camp, please go to www.gofundme.com/cgi-hp.

This week is parshas Kedoshim. The theme of parshas Kedoshim is that it is a mitzvah to be holy. The posuk reads “Kedoshim tehiu”. Chazal learn that kedoshim tehiu means “kadesh atzmecha b’mutar lach.” Simply spoken this means to be restrained with things that are permissible, even though that they are allowable. Chassidus explains that the yetzer horah cannot interfere directly with someone’s life to cause them to do something that is outright prohibited. He operates with a more stealth two stage strategy. First, he entices us to indulge in permissible things. He convinces us that since it’s allowed we should enjoy it. Once a person is used to continuously indulging in the permissible, the yetzer pushes him beyond the threshold, into things that are clearly forbidden. The reason he is successful is because we are out of control. Therefore, the Torah tells us, “kadesh atzmecha b’mutar lach! – sanctify yourself with permissible.” This is how Chassidus explains this mitzvah.

How do we get control? Not just by controlling ourselves but also by having kedusha as the center focus. Our goal is to bring kedusha into every aspect of our lives through the Torah and mitzvos, even into the times and places that we are not doing mitzvos. When we do a mitzvah we say the beracha ‘asher k’dishanu.’ When we use our life to serve Hashem then we are sanctifying ourselves in all the details. We are sanctifying how we express ourselves, how we eat food (see perek zayin of Tanya) in our tznius as well as all other things.

How do I serve Hashem in everything? By having an overall perspective of simcha. A Yid is very happy that he has the opportunity to approach life in a way that is different than a worldly outlook. Our goals and expectations revolve around the fact that Hashem has chosen us to serve Him. Therefore, every morning upon awaking we look upon the day as a special opportunity to serve Hashem in all aspects of life.

When a child is in yeshiva he needs to be excited about what his Torah and mitzvos accomplish. He needs to feel an ahava toward serving Hashem. Chassidus explains that through every mitzvah one accomplishes Hashem’s will. Hashem waits and anticipates when each one of us will do the next mitzvah. Doing the mitzvah brings Hashem endless simcha.

We live however in a physical world and we are affected by our surroundings. There is a story about Rebbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev on Yom Kippur. He turned to Hashem and said, “What do you want from your children? You place the pleasure of the world before our eyes and reward and punishment in the sefarim!” Yiddishkeit needs to be vibrant and part of our life, something we cannot live without.

Why does this child, who went through the system feel that it is not speaking to him? The reason is because the ta’aivos of this world are in front of his eyes. They cloud his neshama, and dull the vibrancy of the living Torah and mitzvos. This has intensified lately where accesses to worldly things are unprecedented. Just a few years ago it took a conscious effort to access such things by going outside of the community. Today they are just a click away with the internet and smart phones. Can we close off our homes to the internet? We need the internet for business.

A teen in yeshiva can’t have facebook, receive hundreds of texts, update his followers on twitter and still have the head to learn. When does he have time? Is it any wonder that the teachers are finding it challenging to arouse children to learn? If every child was born with an individualized handbook that described his exact nature and how to best take care of him, we would be perfect parents. Unfortunately, there are not such handbooks and as parents we have to try to do the best we can. For example, would we give our children harmful things to play with? Would we start a child on a bike without training wheels? Would we give a seventeen-year-old the keys to a car without drivers training? It is the same thing to give our child access to a laptop with internet access to chat rooms, blogs, etc. It is our job to know what they are doing.

Where did this all begin? It all started with questions like; “Is it forbidden to have a cell phone and be able to text?” Is its bad to go on the internet?” It is not necessarily bad to have a knife in the home. It depends how it’s used. We need to restrain ourselves all the time, even the small things. We need to question the quality of our behavior.

The kind of questions that the Rabbanim hear regarding permissible behavior between man and wife makes one question if there is any kedusha in their relationship. The reason they ask such questions is because people go on the internet and they see unacceptable things there. They then want to emulate that behavior in their homes. Thirty years ago no one would even think to ask such questions. We need to remember the central role of kedusha in our families. “Kadesh atzmecha b’mutar lach”. If we go along and indulge what is mutar, we end up doing that which is assur. Chassidus explains at great length how that which we want, we do not need (see Kuntres u’Maayon).

Every parent has the greatest effect on his when they are enthusiastic and take joy in his or her Yiddishket. Our children need to see the excitement of mitzvos in the home. They need to see us learning, especially that we enjoy the learning, that the Torah is our life. We don’t need to spend time finding out about the latest controversies about world Jewry on the various websites. Let’s spend more time looking into the children in our own homes. By spending time with our children, helping them with their homework and taking an interest in their school, helps insure that they do well in school. Parents should go to the yeshiva to see it with their children. A child sees that their education is important.

They also learn from us when see that the rest is not important and exciting. They see that you are not interested in the latest basketball scores and play offs. Instead you take interest in Pesach, Lag B’omer and a Chassidishe vort. They see that you are preoccupied with gemilus chassadim. They see a picture of kedusha. They see that kedusha is real life not something tucked away in a sefer somewhere. They see and understand that the world is full of shtus and hevel hevalim. The internal yiras Shomayim that we have and instill in our children motivates us to be “Kadesh atzmecha b’mutar lach”; to dedicate their lives to serve Hashem even when we and they are alone and can do whatever we and they want. With this we have what a thousand filters and safety precautions cannot accomplish. This is what our dedication and their chinuch can and should bring about. Therefore, when it comes later in life they have the proper perspective, they don’t entertain questions that would make one’s hair stand on its end, and instead gravitate toward making this world a dira lo Yisborach.

Thank you to all who made generous Tzedakah pledges over the Pesach!!
It is because of your generosity that we continue to grow and build our community!! May Hashem repay you (at least) thousand fold!!

Rabbi & Mrs. Mendel Goldman in honor of Rabbi Mendel Goldman’s birthday. May he have a shnas hatzlocho begashmiyus ubruchniyus.

Mr. & Mrs. Steve Zipp for the yahrtzeits of Mr. Steve Zipp’s parents and brother ob”m. May the neshomos have an aliya.
Also for the yahrtzeits Al Singer - Aba ben Moshe Noach ob”m who lived larger than life and loved his fellow Jew from the depth of his heart. May his neshomo have an aliya.

This week Erev Shabbos was the 28th of Nissan, Koach Nissan, the day the Rebbe said; “I have done all that I can to bring Moshiach and now it is up to you”. This year 5776-2016 marks the 25th year since the Rebbe made this statement in 5751-1991.

Many try to picture Moshiach’s coming, a changed world in the blink of an eye. The Haftorah for Acharon shel Pesach describes the times of Moshiach and gives us a picture of what the times of Moshiach will be. The beginning of the Haftorah relates to the reign of King Chizkiyahu in the times of the first Beis HaMikdash. The King of Ashur, Sancheriv amassed a giant army encircling the city of Yerushalayim. Many felt the only way out of their predicament was to make peace with Sancheriv by hand over control of the Beis HaMikdash and then to live under his rule as a vassal state. King Chizkiyahu refused to capitulate under any circumstances and instead went into the Beis HaMikdash and prayed to Hashem. He said that we have no ability to fight back such a large force. Nevertheless after placing his emunah and his trust in Hashem he went on to sleep a serine and restful night of sleep with complete trust in Hashem. That night Sancheriv’s entire army miraculously died. That’s real and lasting instantaneous change! Even though this story occurred on the first night of Pesach we read it on the last day because Hashem wanted to make Chizkiyahu Moshiach. The war with Sancheriv as described was supposed to have been the war of Gog and Magog. Acharon shel Pesach is connected with Moshiach as is known.

Things can change from one extreme to another in one moment! Without emunah we are nowhere. With emunah and bitachon we see can see a completely different picture, a good outcome in one moment.

When the Rambam says that we should see the entire world as balanced between good and evil and with one act, with one mitzvah we have the power to tip the scale to the good of the entire world some cringe their noses. What me? C’mon, saying one chapter of Tehillim or putting Tefillin on one time with a person will do all that? This world is in serious trouble, look in the news, isn’t it a dream to think that we have the power to evoke such great change? The Rebbe answers that every mitzvah is everlasting and always present, it can never be taken away. This is not true for negative things, through teshuva and the pains of galus they are washed away. If we stop perceiving this world with galus colored glasses and instead switch to the Rebbe’s view that all good is with us and the bad and the galus is washed away (batul b’rov) then the next thing we do tips the scales for the good and for the geula.

We need however to be stubborn to be successful. Just as Nachshon ben Aminadav and Chizkiyahu was stubborn so too we need to be stubborn. This is the take way lesson of Pesach; learn (Torah), give (Tzedaka), do (Mitzvos and Mivtzoyim) live (Moshiach), and the next moment Moshiach arrives.

In Toronto there is a person by the name of Rappaport. He grew up in Russia with his grandparents because his parents were being held in jail in Russia. After 10 years, the father, R. Michel came out of prison and told his story of interrogation in prison. The interrogator said; “You are a Shneersonite; the proof is that you have a Chabad Siddur.” R. Michel responded; “That’s not a proof, I received that siddur as a present at my Bar Mitzvah”. The interrogator continued; “You are a Shneersonite, a Chabad Rabbi officiated at your wedding.” R. Michel answered; “What kind of proof is that, he was the local available Rabbi.” Finally R. Michel said; “Look, if you have real proof then charge me, if you have no proof then let me go.” The interrogator responded; “My father once said that if you find a Rabbi in Leningrad, sentence him to Siberia for two years and you will deprogram him without a problem. If you find a Shneersonite then there’s no way to deprogram him. If you send him to Siberia he’ll open a Yeshiva. The only answer for him is to sent him out to the woods with three soldiers (to be shot).” The interrogator then walked out of the room.

We are all Schneersonites. We don’t give in to the galus. There’s nothing to stop us, we can go forward and bring Moshiach Now.